Monday, January 30, 2012

Women in super hero films

Okay, C.I. had a party Saturday at her house, huge party, and a lot of fun. I got into a conversation with several actresses about why female super heroes in live action sucked.

We all agreed that the super hero genre sucked period. Last year was really bad for that genre in terms of quality.

But what we decided in the end was that Michelle Pfeiffer was the last woman to come off good in a super hero film. And yet, in the same role, Halle Berry came off pretty bad.

So what was the problem?

One thing is Michelle had a better director ("Batman Returns" was directed by Tim Burton). But more importantly, Michelle didn't have to be softened.

She played a nerdy woman who becomes Cat Woman. And this is dealt with early on. Whereas Halle's Cat Woman seemed to forever being pulling punches to seem 'girly.' To the point that she was weak.

Add in that Sharon Stone as a villain for Halle to battle against should have been great but they really didn't give her any powers (Stone). She's like rock due to a beauty cream. Okay. Well find a way to make her formidable as a real villian, like Joker.

Instead it wa as if the last thirty minutes of the film arrived and the director suddenly realized they needed a showy finish.

But what we really agreed on is that the actress has to be like Michelle, not apologizing for being there, striding in like she owns the moment. Confidence is the one word answer of what's been lacking in so many females in super hero movies -- and that includes Jessica Alba in the Fantastic Four films.

Monday, January 30, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, glee in the empire
over the hydrocarbons law, at least 18 Sahwa have been killed since December
19th, the drones over Iraq, Iraqi Christians are worse off due to the
war according to a US clergy member, AP reports negotiations with Iraq on US
troops will continue, Iraqiya ends their boycott of Parliament, and more.

Though US President Barack Obama has repeatedy attempted to portay the Iraq
War as a success, reality has refused to play along. David Kerr (Catholic News Agency)
reports today, "U.S. Military Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio says the
collapse of Iraq's Christian population is among the legacies of America's
invasion in 2003." He is quoted stating, "Yes, you can say in a certain sense
that the invasion of Iraq did provoke this tremendous diminution of the
Christian population in that country." Catholic Culture quotes him stating,
"Before they were a minority that was protected but now they are a minority that
is not protected." Meanwhile Mohammed Tawfeeq and Frederik Pleitgen (CNN)
report Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi is calling out Barack's
description of Iraq as "free, stable and democratic," asking, "What sort of Iraq
are we talking about? How the Americans will feel proud? How the American
administration is going to justify to the taxpayer the billions of dollars that
has been spent and at the end of the day the American saying, 'Sorry, we have no
leverage even to put things in order in Iraq'?" In addition, Al Sturgeon (Sioux City Journal) weighs
in with his opinion on whether the Iraq War was "'worth it?' Unless you can
check reasoning and logic at the door, the answer seems to be a resounding
'no.'" Actress Kim Schultz wrote the play No
Place Called Home to draw attention to the Iraqi refugee crisis. At Policy Mic, she points out:

Over 4 million Iraqis have been displaced since the 2003 invasion,
a war that would not have taken place without the Bush administration's violent
overreaction to 9/11. That's 4 million people; about 1 in 5 Iraqi citizens have
been displaced. After travelling across the country to perform my play, I've
learned that most Americans don't know this. And at least 100,000
Iraqi civilians have died since the invasion. 100,000.
These are big numbers.

Almost 3,000 innocent Americans died on 9/11, a tremendous loss.
Yet the carnage in Iraq is far greater, and the 100,000+ innocent lives lost in
Iraq in the wake of our invasion get scant attention, if any. These people were
real mothers, sons, and daughters. What day commemorates the Iraqi father shot
on the street? Or the kidnapped and beheaded uncle? Or the murdered Iraqi
child?

Most Americans don't know these numbers or the stories behind the
numbers, because it doesn't fit the narrative we tell ourselves about our war of
"liberation," or what the news media told us about Iraq.

Last week, Ahmed Rasheed (Reuters) was reporting on
something troubling western rulers, "The political crisis engulfing Iraq's
power-sharing government threatens to further dealy a landmark draft of its
long-delayed oil law -- five years after the first version was submitted to
parliament. [. . .] The first hydrocarbon draft law was agreed by Iraq's
diverse political blocs in 2007, but it's approval has been held back by
infighting among Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish political groups, worrying investors
seeking more guarantees for the industry." The war that was about oil couldn't
let the hydrocarbons law remain in a state of limbo. CNN reports: US Vice
President Joe Biden spoke today with Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi and
spoke on Friday with Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi:

"The two Iraqi leaders described deliberations under
way among all Iraqi political factions and parties in the run-up to a proposed
national conference led by President Jalal Talabani," the White House statement
said. "The vice president discussed with both leaders the importance of
resolving outstanding issues through the political process. The vice president
and Iraqi leaders agreed to stay in close touch as events
unfold."

In addition the White House, the Iraqi Parliament also
released a statement. KUNA reports, "A
statement by the parliament said Biden and Al-Nujaifi, who is a member in the
Iraqiya List, discussed ways of narrowing the gaps between the parties to end
the political conflict. They also discussed the national conference that would
bring about participation of political forces to discuss the political
process."

After much intervention from the US, Al Rafidayn reports Iraqiya
spokesperson Maysoon al-Damluji announced Iraqiya was ending their boycott of
Parliament. The paper notes deep divisions continue between the various blocs.
Unlike the New York Times' sad report, Al Rafidayn does note the Erbil Agreement
and the failure (by Nouri) to implement it. Aswat al Iraq adds, "The Chairman
of Iraq's al-Ahrar (Liberals) Bloc, Bahaa al-Aaraji, has highly assessed the
decision of al-Iraqiya Bloc, led by former Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, to
resume attending the Iraqi Parliament's sessions and its acceptance of its call,
calling on the Bloc to end its boycott to attend the sessions of the Council of
Ministers as well." Al
Mada reports that Iraqiya made its decision following a three
hour meeting of various Iraqiya members. They are seeing their return to
Parliament as a gesture of goodwill and state that the political crisis ends
only by returning to the Erbil Agreement and releasing the innocnets who have
been arrested while resolving the issues regarding Vice President Tareq
al-Hashemi and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq. Nouri has issued an arrest
warrant for the vice president on charges of 'terrorism.' He's also demanded
that al-Mutlaq be stripped of his post. Both al-Hashemi and and al-Mutlaq are
members of Iraqiya which bested Nouri's State of Law in the March 2010
elections. At the US State Dept today, spokesperson Victoria
Nuland declared (link is text with video option):

Well, first of all, we are encouraged by the decision of the
Iraqiya bloc to end their boycott and to return to work at the Council of
Representatives and also by the statements of other key blocs inside Iraq
welcoming that decision. We're also encouraged that President Talabani has
pledged to lead a process that's going to prepare a national conference that's
going to focus on a political solution that protects the interests of all Iraqis
within their constitution.

Our understanding is that the consultations leading to that
conference are still ongoing. I think we've said here and elsewhere that we have
been active, whether it's at the level of Vice President Biden, Secretary
Clinton, Ambassador Jeffrey, in encouraging all of the Iraqi leaders to
participate in this dialogue. We've been talking to all of them about their
interest in preserving a unified Iraq and protecting their hard-fought
constitution.

Alsumaria TV notes that only the
boycott of Parliament has been ended and nothing has been said about the boycott
of the Council of Ministers. But, of course, the Cabinet was no longer involved
in the hydrocarbon process. Making that clear is Reuters report today that, "After five
years in the making, Iraq's parliament could have a first reading of a landmark
oil law by early February, a senior Iraqi energy official said on
Monday."

RTT adds, "The development comes amid a
Shia-Sunni power struggle triggered by a warrant issued for the arrest of Sunni
Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi on terror charges. Hashemi is a senior leader of
the Iraqiya bloc headed by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi." CNN has a video interview with al-Hashemi.

Tareq al-Hashemi: This case is politically motivated from the
beginning. [. . .] For the prime minister to be chief in command [commander in
chief], Minister of Defense, Minister of Interior and the Chief of Intelligence
and the Chief of National Security, what else you could do that? My country, in
fact, because of this unbelievable power consolidation that we are heading back
to restore the same regime that prevailed before 2003.

Dar Addustour reports State of Law
MP Nahida Daini is defending Nouri's failure to name a Minister of Defense by
stating Nouri has left the post vacant because he is afraid of a coup. If you
were afraid of a coup, you might actually fill the security ministries
(Interior, Defense and National Security) but instead Nouri has left them vacant
(despite the Constitutional requirement that a Cabinet be named in 30 days for
someone to become prime minister). He's left them vacant for a year and a month.
Soon to be a year and two months. Because, Daini insists with an apparent
straight face, Nouri fears a coup. Daini does admit that the Erbil Agreement
has been ignored.

The excitement over the oil law possibly coming to a vote may cause many
outlets to ignore the targeting of al-Hashemi as well as the plight of 2 Iraqi
women. Amnesty issued the following:

Amnesty International has called on the Iraqi authorities to reveal
the whereabouts of two women arrested earlier this month, apparently for their
connection to the country's vice-president.

Rasha Nameer Jaafer al-Hussain and Bassima Saleem Kiryakos were
arrested by security forces at their homes on 1 January. Both women work in the
media team of Iraqi Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi, who is wanted by the Iraqi
authorities on terrorism-related charges.Al-Hashimi has denied the charges,
saying the accusations are politically motivated. "The arrest of the two
women appears to be part of a wider move targeting individuals connected to
Tareq al-Hashemi," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's Deputy
Director for Middle East and North Africa."The Iraqi authorities must
immediately disclose the whereabouts of Rasha al-Hussain and Bassima Kiryakos.
At the very minimum they should have immediate access to their family and a
lawyer."The circumstances of their arrest and their incommunicado detention
when we know that torture is rife in Iraq can only raise the greatest fears for
their safety," she said.Security forces detained the two women without
arrest warrants, informing the women's families that they were being taken away
for questioning, without explanation.Bassima Kiryakos called her husband on
20 January and informed him she was to be released the following day but neither
woman has been heard from since.Bassima Kiryakos was previously arrested and
beaten in December but released without charge after three days in
detention.The two women worked for Vice-President Tareq al-Hashimi,who is
accused of ordering his bodyguards to commit acts of terrorism."It is up to
the authorities to provide convincing evidence that the two women have committed
a crime. Otherwise they should be immediately released," said Hassiba Hadj
Sahraoui.A warrant for Tareq al-Hashimi's arrest was issued on 19 December
shortly after his Sunni-backed al-Iraqiya party announced it would boycott
Parliament, accusing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government of being
sectarian.Al-Hashimi is currently in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, a
semi-autonomous area controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG).In December, state run TV channel Al-Iraqiya broadcast "confessions"
by men said to be al-Hashemi's bodyguards saying that they had killed police
officers and officials from ministries in exchange for payoffs from
al-Hashemi.This was followed by a wave of arrests of Sunni
politicians.On 19 January, the Iraqi authorities reported they had arrested
Ghadban al-Khazraji, the deputy governor in charge of investment in Diyala
province and a member of the Islamic Iraqi party. Several of al-Khazraji's
bodyguards were also arrested.In the last few years, hundreds of detainees
have been shown on the Al-Iraqiyqa channel making "confessions" admitting
responsibility for various terrorism related offences.These confessions have
invariably been extracted under torture and other ill-treatment. Many people
were convicted by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq on the basis of these
confessions.

While not bothering to cover this, the New York Times also misdirects on
drones in Iraq this morning but are we surprised that the paper would
intentionally get that wrong? Does any US paper have closer ties to the CIA? No.
And the CIA and the FBI operate in Iraq. Strangely Ted Koppel can tell you that
while the New York Times refuses to do
so. Which is not to say the State Dept isn't operating drones in Iraq. They are.
We covered that (an dobjected to it) when it was presented as wonderful to
Congress. In addition, Turkey gave space on the Iraq border to the CIA for a
base and they are supposed to receive drones in exchange for providing the land
for the base. Iraq, which cannot patrol its own skies due to training and a lack
of planes, has many drones flying over it. And that may be why Iraqis are
objecting and noticing the drones especially. The State Dept indicaes to the
paper that it is them but that's what the State Dept would do if it were FBI or
CIA drones. Mark Thompson (Time magazine) sums it up
best, "Somehow, the State Department has been able to shoot itself in the foot
with an unarmed drone." At the US State Dept today, spokesperson Victoria Nuland took
questions and offered statements on the use of drones in Iraq.

MS. NULAND: Okay. Let me tell you what I can on this situation.
First of all, let me say that the State Department has always used a wide
variety of security tools and techniques and procedures to ensure the safety of
our personnel and our facilities. We do have an unmanned aerial vehicle program
used by the State Department. These are tiny little things. They are not armed.
They are not capable of being armed. And what they are designed to do is help
give us pictures over our facilities to help in their protection.
The operation of this program is extremely limited in scope. It
is only going to even be considered in critical threat environments. I'm not
going to get into the where for obvious reasons. We don't get into our precise
security posture anywhere around the world. So I'm not going to divulge details.
But just to repeat, we are talking about very limited use in critical threat
areas of tiny, little, unarmed, unmanned aircraft which cannot shoot anything.
They only take pictures to help us with embassy personnel and facility
security.

QUESTION: How big is a tiny, little thing?

MS. NULAND: I haven't seen them, but I've seen pictures of people
holding them.

QUESTION: Are we talking about, like, mosquitoes?

MS. NULAND: No, we're talking about like the size of
--

QUESTION: That's not tiny.

MS. NULAND: -- my podium. Yeah, like that. Like
that.

QUESTION: But when you said they are used to give us pictures over
our facilities, is that – is it the case that they are only used over U.S.
facilities? Or do they also get used, for example, when U.S. officials may
travel?

MS. NULAND: They can be used to protect facilities and personnel,
personnel who are moving.

QUESTION: So not just over U.S. facilities?

MS. NULAND: They can be used over the facilities or to track
personnel who are moving, yes.

QUESTION: Not in the facilities, though, right, who are
moving?

MS. NULAND: They can't see inside walls. No, they cannot. No, they
don't have --

QUESTION: No. But I -- it goes to my next -- no, but my next
question is sort of directly relevant. Either countries that are sovereign --
and some of us remember the sort of great enthusiasm with which a former
administration talked about how Iraq had regained its sovereignty after the U.S.
invasion -- either a country that is sovereign has control of its airspace or it
doesn't. And so if you are letting these things not fly just over your embassy
or your facilities, as you suggested, but in fact, they can roam elsewhere in
the country, do you have any agreement or authorization from the Iraqi or from
any government in the world to do that, to essentially give you access to their
airspace?

MS. NULAND: Well, let me just make a general statement in response
to that, Arshad, and I think you will understand that, again, to protect
operational security I'm not going to get into details. But we, the State
Department, always work closely with host governments on the physical protection
of our facilities and our personnel, and this was part and parcel of
that.

QUESTION: But you can work closely with somebody and still not have
their explicit agreement for you to use their airspace, correct?

MS. NULAND: Suffice to say that this is part and parcel of a larger
security program where it is necessary and we do work closely with host
governments.

QUESTION: Well, in each instance, and I'm not asking you where
these are used and I understand you don't want to talk about exactly where
they're used, but in each instance when they are used, do you obtain the
agreement of the host country for use of their airspace?

MS. NULAND: In the context of our larger security posture, we
always work with host governments.

QUESTION: That's not a yes. I mean, you can work with them. It
doesn't mean you've gotten their permission.

MS. NULAND: We are talking about something that started as a pilot
program, something that is now being bid out and looked at for broader use. So
some of the questions that you are probing for are premature; but in the context
of our general consultations with governments on security, those are ongoing and
we always consult with hosts.

QUESTION: Does the -- consultation is a very different thing from
obtaining their permission.

MS. NULAND: I understand. I don't have anything further on your
precise question.

QUESTION: Last one on this for me, if I may.

MS. NULAND: Yes.

QUESTION: What -- does the U.S. Government permit any foreign
country to use unmanned aerial vehicles over -- in its airspace?

MS. NULAND: To my knowledge, Arshad, we have never received such a
request from a foreign country.

Nuland would go on to deny any knowledge that the drones were resulting
in any anger on the part of Iraqis.

Last Friday, a US helicopter went down in Baghdad
(emergency landing) and a second US helicopter instantly landed and took away
the people in the first helicopter. The helicopter incident is important to
Iraqis. Dar Addustour notes that
Parliament's Security and Defense Committee will be addressing the issue this
week and they see it as a clear violation of the Strategic Framework Agreement
that the US currently operates in Iraq under. So the sick and addictive
relationship between the two countries leaders continues.

If I lay my head down on you, would it be, would it be too
late?'Cause I can't blame you, baby, it's me that done wrong

(Disclosure, I just plugged a friend's band and while I will make nothing
off the sale of the albums and singles, I do have a charity bet with a friend in
London on how big Graffiti6 will be this year in the US. If I win, he donates a
sum to Amnesty
International, if he wins, I donate to the Actors
Benevolent Fund. Stream the "Free" video and I think you'll agree Jamie Scott should make
a big impression here in the US -- for his singing, for his songwriting and,
yes, for his looks.)

Dar Addustour also notes that a
spokesperson for Nouri's Cabinet has announced there are approximatey 50,000
Sahwa ("Awakenings," "Sons Of Iraq") and that they are mainly in 9 provinces and
that they wil move to dispense with them despite calls by military commanders to
keep them. Sahwa's been targeted for some time but they've especially been
targeted since December 18th. From the 19th of December to today, there have
been at least 20 reported attacks targeting Sahwa and 18 have been killed with
eight more left injured (if you include family members of Sahwa, the number
killed and wounded increases). Before the announcement today, Dan Morse (Washington Post) had reported
on the difficulties Sahwa face in finding government jobs. If Nouri's plan to
dispense with them is carried out, finding employment will probably continue to
be a huge problem for Sahwa. Susan Ryan (The Journal) notes AKE's
John Drake has compiled figures which see Iraq averageing "56 violent attacks a
week" for 2011. Reuters notes today's violence includes
a Wajihiya bombing targeting a police officer's home left one person injured, a
Baquba bombing targeted a court official (no one was killed or injured), a
Baquba roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 police officer and left three more
injured, a Baquba suicide car bombing claimed the lives of 3 police officers
with three more people left injured, 1 police officer and his father were shot
dead in a Mosul drive-by shooting, 1 government worker was shot dead in Mosul, 1
suspect was killed and an Iraqi soldier injured in Mosul, a Rabia clash left 1
person dead and one Iraqi soldier injured, a Baquba roadside bombing injured on
Iraqi soldier and a Basra grenade attack left 1 police officer dead and another
injured.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta: Senator, as I pointed out in my
testimony, what we seek with Iraq is a normal relationship now and that does
involve continuing negotiations with them as to what their needs are. Uh, and I
believe there will be continuing negotations. We're in negotiations now with
regards to the size of the security office that will be there and so there will
be -- There aren't zero troops that are going to be there. We'll have, you know,
hundreds that will be present by virtue of that office assuming we can work out
an agreement there. But I think that once we've completed the implementation of
the security agreement that there will begin a series of negotiations about what
exactly are additional areas where we can be of assistance? What level of
trainers do they need? What can we do with regards to CT [Counter-Terrorism]
operations? What will we do on exercises -- joint-exercises -- that work
together?

Senator Joe Lieberman: Right.

Secretary Leon Panetta: We -- we have these kind of relationships
with other countries in the region and that's what we're going to continue to
pursue with Iraq.

Senator Joe Lieberman: And in fact, just using the term that both
of you have used, that would be a normal relationship. A normal relationship
would not exlcude the presence of some American military in Iraq,
correct?

Secretary Leon Panetta: That's correct.

Senator Joe Lieberman: So what I hear you saying, assuming that
this question of immunities can be overcome, do you, Mr. Secretary, personally
believe that it's in the interests of the US to have some military presence in
Iraq as part of an agreement with the Iraqis?

Secretary Leon Panetta: I believe -- I believe there are areas
where we can provide important assistance to the Iraqis but again I would stress
to you, Senator Lieberman, I know that you have been there that in order for
this to happen we've got to be able to have them basically say, 'These are our
needs, this is what we want, these are the missions that we want accomplished.'
And then we can assist them in saying we can provide this in order to accomplish
those missions. It's got to be a two-way street.

Still in the US, reminder, the first ever Burn Pit Symposium takes place
next month.

The school of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony
Brook, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical
Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The School of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony
Brooke designates this live activity for a maximum of 6 AMA PRA Category 1
Credit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim the credit commensurate with the
extent of their participation in the activity.

About Me

I'm a black working mother. I love to laugh and between work and raising kids, I need a good laugh. I'm also a community member of The Common Ills. Shout outs to any Common Ills community members stopping by. Big shout out to C.I. for all the help getting this started. I am not married to Thomas Friedman, credit me with better taste, please. This site is a parody.